Looking Ahead to a Busy Friday from Long Beach
By Tony DiZinno
LONG BEACH, Fla. – It will be a busy Friday for IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship teams and drivers with three on-track sessions, two practice and qualifying, ahead of Saturday’s Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach (4 p.m. ET, NBC).
The WeatherTech Championship schedule is below, with all times PT and local time:
- 9 to 10 a.m., Practice 1
- 1:10 to 2:40 p.m., Practice 2
- 5:25 to 5:40 p.m., GTD Qualifying
- 5:45 to 6 p.m., GTP Qualifying
Porsche Carrera Cup North America also returns to the streets of Long Beach for the first time since 2023 and has three sessions as well.
Their schedule is below:
- 7:45 to 8:15 a.m., Practice 1
- 11:45 a.m. to 12:15 p.m., Practice 2
- 4:40 to 5:10 p.m., Qualifying
Additional New Liveries
Beyond the previously revealed Nos. 6 and 7 Porsche Penske Motorsport Porsche 963s and No. 31 Cadillac Whelen Cadillac V-Series.R car, several other cars have different looks this race. One other in Grand Touring Prototype (GTP) is the No. 93 Acura Meyer Shank Racing w/Curb Agajanian Acura ARX-06 sees 76 colors on it instead of Phillips 66 (photo below by Acura Meyer Shank Racing).
In Grand Touring Daytona (GTD), Pfaff Motorsports’ new Lamborghini Temerario GT3 takes on a new light blue plaid livery adorning its renumbered No. 46 car. And DragonSpeed brings back an Anti Social Social Club livery to its No. 81 Corvette Z06 GT3.R; the partnership started last year at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca when the team ran a Ferrari (IMSA Photos).
GTD PRO Trio Dip Into GTD
With Grand Touring Daytona Pro (GTD PRO) off at Long Beach, a trio of GTD PRO entries are dipping into GTD for the weekend. If history holds true, these entries may have a good shot at a top result Saturday.
Vasser Sullivan Racing’s second GTD-only No. 89 Lexus RC F GT3 of Ben Barnicoat and Parker Thompson won in 2024. And last year, AO Racing won with its No. 177 Porsche 911 GT3 R (992) of Laurens Vanthoor and Jonny Edgar.
Those two teams are back again in 2026, with slightly altered lineups. Jack Hawksworth and Frankie Montecalvo – who were in the flagship No. 12 Vasser Sullivan Lexus GTD car last year – shift across to the No. 89 car while Aaron Telitz and Benjamin Pedersen continue full-time in the No. 12. AO welcomes Mikkel Pedersen alongside race newcomer Harry King in the No. 177 Porsche.
And the newest Long Beach returnee is Pfaff Motorsports, which brings its Lamborghini Temerario GT3 to the streets for the first time. Andrea Caldarelli and series debutant Zachary Vanier share the No. 46 car.
Welcoming Back Other GTD Returnees
As noted above, the first sprint race of the year sees a number of sprint-only or Long Beach GTD-only entries rejoin the fray.
Robert Wickens (No. 36 DXDT Racing Corvette Z06 GT3.R) makes his first start of 2026 alongside Mason Filippi. Corey Lewis is back in Gradient Racing’s No. 66 Ford Mustang GT3 alongside Jake Walker, who is now set for his first WeatherTech Championship sprint race start. All of Walker’s previous 12 series starts have been in IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup events. Both Filippi and Walker are Long Beach rookies.
Pumpelly’s Versatility on Display
Spencer Pumpelly’s versatility and veteran experience – he has made nearly 250 top-championship IMSA starts dating to 1998 – have never been in doubt. And in recent years, his adaptability in-season between teams has paid dividends.
Pumpelly will hit a unique mark this weekend at Long Beach where he will fill in aboard Heart of Racing Team’s No. 27 Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Evo alongside Eduardo “Dudu” Barrichello to make his third start in as many different Grand Touring Daytona (GTD) entries in 2026.
He opened the year with a runner-up finish in the similar Aston fielded by Magnus Racing at the Rolex 24 At Daytona, then took 10th in a stand-in role in RS1’s No. 28 Porsche 911 GT3 R (992) at the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring.
He enters the race fourth on his own in GTD points, 126 behind – ironically – his Long Beach co-driver Barrichello and his co-drivers for the first two events of the season, Tom Gamble and Zacharie Robichon. So Pumpelly has the chance to move up on his own while also assisting Barrichello’s title pursuit.
The last time Pumpelly raced in Long Beach was in a similar substitute role for Heart of Racing in 2024, with Robichon and team principal Ian James were unavailable for Long Beach alongside Roman De Angelis.